CPSC, Käthe Kruse Doll Co. Announce Recall of "Selecta" Wooden Toys

December 15, 1999
Release # 00-033

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For Immediate Release;
Contact: Nychelle Fleming
(301) 504-0580 Ext. 1192

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Käthe Kruse Doll Co., of Troy, N.Y., is recalling about 2,400 Selecta wooden toys. The balls included with these toys are banned because they present a serious risk of choking deaths to young children.

The CPSC and Käthe Kruse Doll Co. are not aware of any injuries involving the small balls contained in these toys. This recall is being conducted to prevent possible injuries.

The Selecta brand toys being recalled are the"Quatrino" wooden shape sorter toys, "Sorting Box" shape sorter toys, "Favola" shape sorter toys, and "Kugelbahn" ball chute toys. The Selecta Quatrino wooden shape sorter toy has eight sides. There are shapes cut out of the top of the toy for inserting various wooden shaped pieces, including the two small balls. Four brightly colored doors on the side of the toy slide up to open the storage area for the wooden pieces. A sticker on one side of the toy shows a bee, and "with beeswax" is written on the sticker it in various languages.

The Selecta Sorting Box wooden shape sorter toy has four sides. There are shapes cut out of the top of the toy for inserting various wooden-shaped pieces, including two small balls. A brightly colored door on the top of the toy slides out to open the storage area for the wooden pieces, including the two small balls. A sticker on the toy reads, "Selecta Spieizeug," and "Made in Germany."

The Selecta Favola wooden shape sorter toy resembles a medieval castle with four sides and four cylindrical turrets. There is a wooden panel near the top of the toy that opens horizontally, allowing access to shape cut-outs for inserting various wooden pieces, including two small balls. A sticker on the bottom of the toy shows a bee, and "with beeswax" is written in various languages.

The Selecta Kugelbahn wooden ball chute is a toy consisting of a series of four chutes attached to each other in an angled position designed to allow the two small balls included with the toy to descend and sound a number of bells that are attached to the chutes along the way. The toy includes a wooden painted clown attached to the center of the top chute. The "Selecta" brand logo appears on the front of the base of the toy.

Toy stores and web sites sold these toys from January 1997 through November 1999 for $30 to $80.

Consumers should take these toys away from young children immediately, and return them to the store where purchased for a refund. Consumers who purchased the toys from a web site should contact the web site to make arrangements for returning the toys for a refund. For more information, consumers should call Käthe Kruse Doll Co. at (800) 932- 7141 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.